Healing Katniss
by EffiesWig
Summary: Post Mockingjay. My take on what happens to Katniss after she returns to 12. She falls into a crippling depression from which she can't escape. With Peeta still being treated in the capital, her mother and Gale gone, and Haymitch constantly drunk; who will be there to help Katniss recover from the trauma of the war? Possible Hayffie in later chapters. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

Several weeks had passed since Katniss had been released from the supervision of the Capital. She had been returned to her former home in the Victor's Village with only Haymitch. Peeta had been left behind to continue his treatment. Her mother and Gale had made new lives in other districts. Effie had returned to what was left of the Capital to salvage some kind of life for herself. It had been left to Haymitch to see that Katniss readjusted to life in 12. Of course you should never trust a drunk with even the simplest of tasks. She never saw him after the first day. Katniss spent quite a bit of her time alone, sitting in her mother's rocking chair just staring at the wall. She had guests most days in the beginning. Citizens of 12, who had returned, would come and see her. They often brought gifts of food, which had now become more easily accessible since the end of the war. At first she would eat the food, grateful for it. She only made small talk with her visitors. They would thank her for what she had done for Panem, but she never acknowledged this. Overtime, it became harder for her to maintain any sort of conversation. One day came a point where she couldn't even force herself to say so much as "hello" to her visitors. She ate less and less of the gifts of food. They stopped bringing her food when they saw that it was beginning to pile up and rot. She still had a few visitors that would come by to try to coax a few words from her. But they would never stay more than a few minutes. Her silence was absolutely deafening. She wouldn't even look at anyone to acknowledge their presence. It's almost as if Katniss wasn't there herself. The depression that had started out so small had spiraled out of control until she no longer had the motivation to get up from her chair. The visitors stopped when she started soiling herself. Nobody knew what to do about her. People claimed they wanted to help, but nobody dared to enter the house. The stench of rotten food and human filth was too overwhelming.


	2. Chapter 2

Effie had received the phone call just after dawn. A calm voice on the phone telling her that Katniss was in trouble and Paylor requested Effie's help. When Effie pressed for more details she met with resistance. The caller had simply told her that it would be better if this was discussed face to face. Effie rushed through her morning routine. She applied what she considered to be the most basic of makeup and selected her standard blonde curly wig. She hurriedly dressed in one of her more simple outfits, a lavender minidress with soft yellow accents. She selected a pair of lavender spiked heels, but didn't bother with jewelry. She didn't want to waste any more time. Thoughts of Katniss dominated her mind. Her anxiety propelled her out the front door where she was greeted by a man who had been sent over to drive her to the mansion. She maintained herself and attempted to appear calm. She couldn't be seen as frazzled, even by this stranger. She sat in the back of the car completely silent. But her mind was screaming. What was only a fifteen minute drive seemed to take much longer. Upon her arrival, two guards met Effie to escort her to the Presidential Office. The ability to stay calm was becoming harder to maintain the closer she came to her destination. Once there she was greeted by Paylor and a man who identified himself as Dr. Aurelius. The need to jumpstart the conversation washed over Effie as soon as she walked through the door.

"Good morning. How can I help?" Effie sat herself down behind Paylor's desk without invitation, manners at the back of her mind. All she cared about was finding out what the problem with Katniss was and getting her the help she needed. This seemed to be a common theme in their relationship since the beginning. Effie always tried her hardest to look after Katniss in any way she could. In hindsight, sending her off to the games was certainly not what was best for her, but Effie had no control over that. All she was able to do was give her the best chance of survival.

Paylor took no notice of Effie's apparent rudeness and spoke matter-of-factly. "We don't really have too much time for discussion, so I'll get straight to the point. We've been receiving reports from 12 that Katniss has not been coping well since her return. Our understanding is that she's been suffering from major depression and has lost the will to live. She no longer is able to take care of herself and will most likely die without intervention. Unfortunately nobody in town is able to help her."

Dr. Aurelius seemed to jump out of a slight daze. "Yes. I unfortunately have not had much luck with treating Katniss since she came under my care. I'm hoping she might respond more favorably to a familiar face." Effie gazed at Dr. Aurelius, wondering what this sleepy old man could have possibly done for Katniss.

"You mean me?" Effie's pulse quickened with the anticipation of his forthcoming answer. The chance to see Katniss again and to help her in any way she could brought back both and good and terrifying memories.

Dr. Aurelius eyes had a glassy effect as they stared into Effie's. "Yes, if you would consent to lending your assistance."

Effie had no hesitation and almost yelled, "Of course! I'll do everything I can to help her!"

"Excellent!" The third voice caused Effie and Dr. Aurelius to both jump in their seats. Paylor had been so quiet; it was almost as if she disappeared. "I'll arrange for some transportation." She reached toward the phone and before she dialed she looked at Effie and said, "When you go home to pack, keep practicality in mind." Before Effie could respond Dr. Aurelius jumped back in to the conversation.

"I'm sending a fully equipped medical team along with you. If she's as bad as the reports say she is she'll need some medical attention initially."

Effie was afraid to ask, but she had to know. "Just how bad do you think she is?"

Dr. Aurelius didn't bother to dance around this question. He knew it would come. "She may be on death's door at this very moment."

Effie had just enough time to rush home and pack a small bag for herself. "Practicality," Effie said to herself quietly. The word almost left a bitter taste. Effie had never done anything with practicality in mind. Being a fashion icon for so many years left very little room for anything but flamboyance, but she had to try. "This is for Katniss." She dug to the back of her closet to find the simplest clothes she had and then scavenged a pair of the smallest heels she had. With the addition of a few basic hygiene items she was ready to go, and just in time. She rushed out of the front door just as her ride was pulling up.

The hovercraft ride was torturous as Effie's thoughts of Katniss stumbled around in her head. Until now, she had not really had the time to think about what she had been told earlier. But on this long ride, with nothing to occupy her, she couldn't stop the thoughts from forming. Katniss could be dying, right now. She was afraid of what she might encounter and was glad to not be going in alone. To have professionals around her was a small comfort. But every minute wasted on the journey was another taken away from Katniss' life and there was no way to calm this anxiety.

The hovercraft landed just outside of the Victor's Village. Effie stepped off first, followed by the medical team carrying bags of medical supplies. She led them to the front door and knocked. She held her breath, hoping for someone to answer. To see Katniss open the door, perfect and healthy. To only tell them that this was all a mistake, but there was no answer. Effie feared the worst. That they had gotten there too late and that Katniss' corpse was on the other side of the door. She pushed open the front door and the smell nearly knocked her over. She stared into the darkness and there was Katniss emaciated, filthy and nearly dead. The medical team pushed passed Effie unfazed by the horror of what was inside. All Effie could do was turn and vomit into the bushes.


	3. Chapter 3

"No," Effie thought. "You have to be stronger than this, for Katniss."

Effie straightened up, took a deep breath and forced her mind to ignore her churning stomach as she walked through the front door. She stood at the far end of the room, unwilling to move any closer. Her view of Katniss was blocked by the medical team, which she was grateful for. She was afraid of seeing her body again. She didn't want to believe what she had seen when she first opened the door. She refused to believe that the beautiful young woman she had met three years ago had become nothing more than a living, breathing skeleton. At least, she hoped Katniss was still alive. She watched as the medical team whisked about in an organized flurry. They were so fast that their movements seemed to blur together and Effie couldn't figure out what they were doing. She saw lots of different types of equipment removed from bags, passed around and then disappearing into the center of the group where Katniss was. After a few moments the activity slowed and one of the doctors stepped back and just observed Katniss for a moment shaking his head. Then he turned and caught Effie's eye. He began to walk towards her removing his gloves and tossing them off to the side.

Effie's breath caught in her throat afraid she was about to hear the worst. The doctor signaled for her to sit on the couch. He sat next to her and spoke in a calm, matter-of-fact tone. "Miss Trinket, we may have gotten here just in time. I'm afraid Katniss has deteriorated quite a bit. She's suffering from the effects of extreme starvation. Her body is literally feeding off of itself in a desperate attempt to stay alive She's in very critical condition."

Effie's stomach became a tangle of knots as she listened to the Doctor's words. "Will she survive?" Effie was barely able to choke the words out.

"I don't want to throw out all hope, but at this moment I'm not very optimistic. In this fragile state she could go into cardiac arrest at any moment. In fact, I've decided that the care required is beyond what we can do for her here. She's going to need round the clock care for quite some time. She'll need to be transferred to a Capital hospital immediately.

The fear washed over Effie again and again, each wave more powerful than the last. But she refused to break down. This was not the time or place. She had to stay strong if she was going to be of any use. "What can I do to help?"

"Just be there for her. Love her and support her. Sometimes that's better than any medicine we can give." The doctor stood up and turned back to Katniss who was being packed away onto a stretcher. Effie didn't need to be told to love Katniss. She had loved her ever since she first met her. Effie pushed down the lump in her throat and stood up slowly. Her legs felt weak, but she forced herself to walk over to Katniss who was having her vital signs taken by a nurse. She took Katniss' hand and nearly broke down over how it felt. It was bony and cold, as if Katniss were already dead. He arms were skeletal and her cheeks and eyes sunken in. The skin clung so loosely to her face that it appeared to be melting away. Effie couldn't see Katniss' body as it was covered with a blanket, but she could guess what a horrible sight it would be. She forced away the thought and looked into Katniss' eyes searching for a sign of recognition. Katniss simply stared blankly, almost as if she was looking straight through Effie.

"Katniss? Katniss dear? It's Effie. Say something, please?" One tear escaped from Effie's eyes and dripped down onto Katniss' hand, but she forced the rest back. "Please." Effie couldn't hide the desperation in her voice. "Just look at me." Effie felt a hand on her shoulder and lifted her head to look at the nurse on the other side of the stretcher.

"I'm so sorry she's just too weak to respond, but you should talk to her. She can still hear you." Effie nodded. The calm words from the nurse helped to settle her a bit. She calmed herself. She had to talk to Katniss while she still had the chance.

"Katniss, you're going to be ok dear. You're going to go to the hospital and I'm coming with you. I'm going to help take care of you, but I need you to do something for me. I need you to want to get better. Please. I know you've had a rough life, especially in the last few years. You've had far too many traumatic experiences at such a young age and it's not fair. But you can't give up on life. You may not be able to see it now, but it will get better I promise. I'm going to help you get through this and I'm so sorry that it took you nearly dying to get you the help that you need. I'll never forgive myself for not checking up on you. I should have never trusted Haymitch with the task. He's too damaged himself." Effie heard the hovercraft landing outside and she bent down to kiss Katniss on the forehead. "It's time to go now darling. I'll be with you the whole way."

The team began to wheel Katniss out the door and towards the hovercraft. Effie followed close behind not wanting to get too far behind. But she hesitated a moment as she walked past Haymitch's house. She imagined he would be drunk inside. She felt angry at him for allowing this to happen. He was so close. If he could have taken two minutes out of his day to walk across the street, this may not have gone as far as it had. A part of her wanted to confront him. To yell and scream at him, but that would have to wait. Katniss was more important. She would get to Haymitch later.

She boarded the hovercraft and stuck close to Katniss side. She held Katniss' hand and stroked her hair. She spoke soothing words to her the whole way, willing her to hang on.


End file.
